Luke 20

Whose child are you? Who is your father, in a spiritual sense? Who do we belong to? Do we know we have a Father? The Hebrew people were known as the children of Israel – they believed and testified they were the children of Abraham. Believers are children of the Resurrection, ‘Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection,’ (Luke 20:36). What a verse! What a statement! It gives us great power in our living and testifying, as we speak of a wonderful Saviour. We are not just children of the Cross, but children of the Resurrection.  Paul said, ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death,’ (Philippians 3:10).

Jesus met with people who said they were children of Abraham. Jesus disagreed because they didn’t live as the children of Abraham. The Lord Jesus had been speaking to them about His Father. They didn’t understand Him. Sometimes, some of our friends are not worshipping in chapel today. Loved ones will be out in the world. You know the devil will cast you down. He is the accuser of the brethren, asking why do you witness? Loved ones may not be following in the Saviour, but we look to God’s promise that they may one day. It is a wonderful promise.

The people sought to kill Jesus, there was hatred in their hearts, yet there was no hatred in the heart of Abraham, so they could not be children of Abraham. The people heard the Saviour but did not want to follow Him. Many today look to a great preacher, like Billy Graham, leaning on a man instead of leaning on the Lord. Abraham is our father but Jesus had very strong words to say to the people. There are many people today deep in sin, the devil is at work. He is the father of lies.

But the good news of the Bible is that believers are children of God, equal with the angels. What a blessing to be a child of God. By the very presence of God and knowledge of God we know angels rejoice in heaven when just one person gets saved. We are equal with angels because we are children of God, children of the Resurrection.

Who are the children of the Resurrection in the Word of God? Peter denied the Lord and was far from the cross. Sometimes we fail to testify. But the Resurrection made a difference in the life of Peter. Not only did he believe in the Resurrection, he preached not only Christ and the cross, but the Resurrection itself (Acts 2:31-32). Peter was a child of the Resurrection. This did not go down well with the people who rejected him. But 3,000 were saved and another 5,000 later on because of the power of Christ.

Paul preaches with authority, power and love. Now he doesn’t deny Jesus, he knows Him. Another child of the Resurrection was Stephen. Stephen began talking about the children of Israel. Peter began by talking about the man, the Lord Jesus, but finished with the Lord, the Resurrected Lord. Stephen, in a similar way, speaks of Abraham and others but then comes to Christ. The people became angry, as the Jews were towards the Lord Jesus Christ. Stephen was martyred. He saw the Saviour standing at the right hand of God. When Stephen entered heaven, Jesus stands to welcome him home because he was a child of the Resurrection.

The kingdom of God welcomes you because you are a child of the Resurrection.